The dynamic instability that makes it possible for microtubules to transition from a rigid polymerized or «assembled» nucleotide state to a flexible depolymerized or «disassembled» nucleotide state is driven by guanosine
triphosphate (GTP)
hydrolysis in the microtubule lattice.
NGSS Alignment: HS - LS 1 - 5, HS - LS1 - 7 Key Terms Include: • adenine • adenosine • adenosine diphosphate • adenosine
triphosphate • cellular work: chemical, mechanical, transport • endergonic • exergonic •
hydrolysis • phosphorylation • phosphate groups • potential energy • ribose •
triphosphate Happy Teaching!